Spectacular views for folks who live on a hill

Glencree/€2.5m: Scandinavian design has its basis in wood and organic shapes and this is the style of Heathers, a six-bedroom house in Old Boley, Glencree, which will be auctioned on September 30th by Hassett Estate Agents with a guide of €2.5 million.

The northern European architectural style suits the situation, 1,000 ft above sea level in the hilly Wicklow landscape: the house is designed to deal with a sometimes harsh environment and has both underfloor and ceiling heating, triple glazing and several large fireplaces.

Set on 12.5 acres of land - mostly in forestry - one acre has been fenced off around the house and its outbuildings that include a 100-year-old granite cottage.

An electronic gate opens from the road and a short drive leads to another gate and on to the house. This area could be used as a paddock for horses, just as the large agricultural barn at the top of the drive could also be converted to stables. The house is 465 sq m (5,000 sq ft) and is south-facing. The internal layout of the dormer building is designed with the location in mind: the views here really are spectacular and each room to the front takes full advantage of this with large, often floor-to-ceiling windows: as you move from room to room at the front of the house, the view is barely interrupted.

Plentiful use of wood makes it a cosy house and the kitchen, one of the cosiest rooms of all, is almost in the centre with reception rooms (living, dining, sunroom and family room) running into one another around it.

This creates an easy atmosphere that continues upstairs where there are five bedrooms with three en suites and a family bathroom (the sixth bedroom is downstairs and used as a study by the owners).

The main bedroom has an en suite, two walk-in wardrobes and a gable end picture window.

Outside, there is impressive decking to the front and a stone cottage in the garden. Used for parties during the summer, it has exposed cut-stone walls and a vaulted ceiling inside and opens onto a deck. It could easily be converted into yet more accommodation: it would work particularly well as a house for guests.